Hiking & Boots (yes, more boots!)

Noel and I have had a great time over the last few days. Yesterday I made some venison stew in the crockpot, and while that was cooking, we decided to go for a walk at the local state park, Fairfield Lake.

It was so pretty!



Except some of the plant life looked a little vicious:



There was supposedly lots of wildlife there, but we only saw birds. Noel found some evidence of beaver activity though:



The other wildlife we saw was....not my favorite kind. As some of you might know, I'm slightly afraid of spiders. Ahem. So Noel, being the kind guy that he is, ran Spider Interference:



(Thankfully they don't have those gargantuan yellow spiders around here that they have in Savannah!)

One of my favorite photography subjects, the mossy fallen log:



We had a great time, walked about 6 miles, and really enjoyed the sunshine.



When we got back to the house, the venison stew was cooking away, and was quite tasty if I do say so myself! The crockpot (named Davy Crockpot) is great for RV living, since it takes up very little room and you can cook a meal in 1 pot (without having to sit there cooking all day either!).

Quick venison stew recipe:

2-3 lb. tenderloin (or pork or beef or whatever)
2 peeled & cubed potatoes
1 chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can of water (use soup can)
1 pkg of beef stew flavoring
1 tsp of balsamic vinegar
1 tsp (or more) of minced garlic

Put the potatoes and onions in the bottom of the crock pot, then put the meat on top. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl, then pour over meat & veggies. Stir to cover everything with the sauce. You can also prick the meat with a fork or knife to help season the meat better. Cook on high for 6 hours.

Enjoy! The cream of mushroom soup makes the jucies in the crockpot turn out like a thick gravy. Very tasty!

Today we went to Dallas to see a movie (Boondock Saints 2 - very good). After the movie, we decided to check out a new western store. It had quite a bit of really fun stuff (I'm really surprised nobody's asked me to stop or leave the store or anything when I'm standing there taking pictures of stuff.)

Texans are very proud of their Texas-ness. We've all seen the bumper stickers, right? Don't Mess With Texas, etc. Anyway, they're serious! This store has something for every Texan on your list!

Kitchen looking a little too non-Texan?



Need something snazzy for the front of your car?



Pint-sized bronco-buster of the house needing more training?



Want to embrace the life philosophies of The Duke at each meal?



Man in your life who wants to smell more like burning tires and gasoline?



Let me know if you want me to pick up any of this stuff for you next time we go out shopping. Heh.

We then went to another western wear shop so Noel could check out some boots he'd been coveting. They looked so nice and were so comfortable, he went ahead and got them! He's well on his way to a full Cowboy Conversion. (Next up, a cowboy hat. Or spurs.)



Detail shot! They are pretty - you have to admit.



Yeehaw!